The Tinderbox
The Tinderbox is an object that serves a major role in the twelfth Dark Parables game, The Thief and the Tinderbox, and its bonus game, Journey of Atonement. It is a powerful magic object that grants its owner three wishes but upon granting those wishes will enslave the owner. Appearance The Tinderbox is a small, round container with a base and a lid. It has a silver handle and silver design around it. The entire box seems to be covered in an orange/yellow glow. History The Tinderbox was originally owned by a king who had risen from his humble fisherman background by use of a magic goldfish he had caught. This goldfish had agreed to fulfill the fisherman's three wishes in exchange for her freedom, but the greedy man broke his word and instead imprisoned her in his old tinderbox. He then used her to make more wishes until the goldfish eventually died of its sorrow. However, the goldfish was a much-loved familiar of the Sea Goddess who was enraged at the man's abuse. In retaliation, she cursed the king's tinderbox so that anyone who kept it until their three wishes were fulfilled would be enslaved inside and forced to grant another's wishes. It is unknown how many people have found and been enslaved by the Tinderbox, but its earliest known owner after the greedy king was an unnamed woman who hid it inside a cave. Years later the woman's granddaughter, who was a witch, made a deal with a soldier that if he retrieved the Tinderbox he could keep all the riches found in the cave. Though the soldier managed to evade the three giant dog guardians and collect the hordes of riches, he double crossed the witch and kept the Tinderbox for himself. With his new found wealth, he claimed the hand of a princess and became a king. The next known owner was Rasputin, who acquired it after being banished to the East by his brother, King Edric. Returning to the Snowfall Kingdom with an army, Rasputin attempted to use the Tinderbox during the battle against his brother but was instead imprisoned as the Tinderbox's new slave. In an effort to keep the world safe from the dangerous power of the Tinderbox, King Edric had it sealed in a statue deep underground with his three most trusted generals transformed into dog guardians. Centuries passed and the Tinderbox was once again sought for its power. Kai, heartbroken over his unrequited love for Gerda, was magically manipulated by Rasputin into finding it but his attempts to locate the secret entrance by burning the Snowfall Kingdom's forest bought him to the attention of the Fairytale Detective. After defeating the Dog Guardians in the underground keep, the Detective unsealed the Tinderbox but it was quickly stolen from her by Kai. With the Tinderbox in his possession, Kai made his first wish to stop Gerda and Gwyn's wedding - Rasputin granted this by freezing time in the new Snowfall Kingdom. When Gerda rejected Kai's declaration of his love, he made his second wish to remove all the men in the Snowfall Kingdom. This wish unintentionally caused a fire to break out and when Kai made his final wish that everything be as it was before, he broke taboo and was trapped inside the Tinderbox as the new slave. Released from the Tinderbox for the first time in centuries, Rasputin retook possession of the Tinderbox and made his first wish to raise his dark forge from the ashes. When Hansel and the Detective attempted to stop him, Rasputin made his second wish that they be gone from the world; Kai, however, modified the wish that the Detective be only imprisoned in the Tinderbox which she later escaped. Faced with defeat on the old battlefield, Rasputin made both his final wish and broke taboo by wishing for the Detective, Gerda and Gwyn to die. Once again, Rasputin was imprisoned in the Tinderbox and Kai was freed. In a gesture of forgiveness towards their friend, Gerda and Gwyn entrusted Kai with the Tinderbox to keep it safe. In The Journey of Atonement, we see that Kai seals the Tinderbox in the Temple at the Edge of the World forever, but exchanges his ability to leave the edge of the world in return. Currently, the Tinderbox is sealed in the temple. Three Taboo Wishes Despite the person trapped in the Tinderbox being able to grant people what they desire, there are, however, limits to the wishes that the Tinderbox can grant. These rules can be seen on a stone plaque in the Keepers Halls. So far, the three taboo wishes are: Do not wish for one's demise, as death is a force beyond my control. Do not wish for a change of heart, as one's feelings are their own. Do not wish for revival; once on the path of the dead, there's no turning back. It is unknown what will happen if one of these rules are broken, but it's possible that there will be consequences for the user who made the wish or their wish will nullify, but still count as a wish as it was seen with Rasputin's last wish. Relevant Parables The Curse Is Born ''(from The Thief and the Tinderbox)'' On a very misty day in a kingdom far away, a fisherman caught a goldfish who was no ordinary fish but a familiar of the Sea Goddess herself, who loved all of her animal companions very much. The fisherman had heard ancient tales of magic, so he made a deal with the goldfish: if she fulfilled three wishes, he would set her free. The goldfish agreed and brought him riches untold, true love, and the throne of the kingdom. With three wishes granted, the goldfish expected the fisherman to fulfill his end of the bargain. But the former fisherman had become a greedy King and couldn't part with such powerful magic. He put the goldfish into an old tinderbox until he needed more wishes, and it wasn't long before the goldfish died of sorrow. When the Sea Goddess heard about her friend, she was heartbroken and cursed the King's tinderbox to punish his greed; anyone who kept the tinderbox until the third wish was fulfilled would end up its slave, forced to obey another's wishes. 'An Old Friendship '(from Journey of Atonement) There once was a botanist of the highest order named Mother Gothel, who held an ancient grudge against the Goddess Flora. If Gerda, Gwyn, and Kai had not disrupted her plan, she would have succeeded in destroying the Goddess. But with the Goddess Flora in full possession of her powers, Mother Gothel had to hide from her reach and lick her wounds. Years passed until one day she was seized by a strange connection with Kai, whom she had cursed in the past; she could feel that Kai was cursed again, but by something far more powerful than her magic. She immediately forged a plan: if she could have the item of such power, not even a Goddess could stand up to her. "Flora, you're mine!" she thought to herself, as she set sails towards the Snowfall Kingdom. Mother Gothel absorbed the energy from nature itself, allowing her to transform into a giant sea serpent. All that remained between her and the Tinderbox was Kai. Trivia * It's most likely that the origin of the wish granting goldfish from the parable "The Curse is Born" is based off of The Fisherman and his Wife or The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish. * It is possible that the three taboo wishes were inspired by the rules of Genie from Disney's Aladdin, who cannot kill, make people fall in love or raise the dead. Gallery Screenshots= Tinderbox.png TT&TB Holding The Tinderbox.jpg|Detective Holding the Tinderbox TT Kai.png Kai drops the Tinderbox.png TT Kai and the Tinderbox.png TT Kai and Rasputin.png TT Rasputin and Kai.png Rasputin reaches for Tinderbox.png|Rasputin reaching for The Tinderbox TT Tinderbox.jpg TT&TTB Kai Released.jpg|Kai freed from the Tinderbox JOA Tinderbox Sealed.jpg|The Tinderbox locked away at the Edge of the World 33F7827C-9873-48FC-8309-6B0DCCC01752.jpeg Kai holding the Tinderbox.jpg |-|Other Images= TSP sneak peel.jpg|The Tinderbox featured in sneak peek Taboo Wishes.png|Plaque with the Tinderbox's taboo wishes Bandicam 2016-10-01 10-36-53-196.jpg|Mural depicting the Tinderbox passed into the Generals' care, The Thief and the Tinderbox Joa-old-friendship.jpg Category:A to Z Category:Objects Category:Magic Objects Category:Artifacts Category:The Thief and the Tinderbox Category:Journey of Atonement